BEIJING -- Now what? Since Taiwan has elected Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party as its next president, despite heavy-handed Chinese efforts to discourage this outcome, what does Beijing do next?
The official answer from the mainland's leadership is "we must wait and see." But when asked what they are waiting for or what they hope to see, Chinese officials seem unclear. Beyond futile hopes that Chen will somehow endorse a "one China" policy that accords with Beijing's definition, people in Beijing seem to be at a loss for words.
It's too bad this speechless condition did not strike them sooner. Even the most ardent Taiwan critics privately acknowledge that the overabundance of very harsh words by China's President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji in the days before the election now make it much more difficult to seek or find common ground with the new DPP government.